Cotton cleaning and reclaiming machine



vJune 18, 1935- J. E. MITCHELL COTTON CLEANING AND RECLAIMING MACHINE mw u Patented Jun 18, 1935 v c s 2 005 2 UNITED P TENTOFFICE COTTONCLEANING AND RECLAIMING I MACHINE 1 v John E. Mitchell, Dallas, Tex.

. Application May 19, 1933, Serial No. 671,797

, 1 Claim. (01. 19-37) This invention relates to certain new and useactthat echa acter O the Cotton h n l d in ful improvements in cottoncleaning and reclaimdifferent localities varies considerably with reingmachines of the type disclosedin various patspect to the size of thelocks and the percentage ents heretofore granted tome, and particularlyin of hulls that must be separated, and the size of PatentNo. 1,613,242,dated January 4, 1927. h ll di char e space w n the y ld n 5 In suchtypes of machine I employ sm n members 13 and I d which would beadequate for reclaiming saw cylinder located below the hull e characterf co to i p ice has been discharge opening extending pastthe main sawfound to be inadequ for the p p discharge cylinder, and located insufiiciently close proxim- 0 hulls when operated on another characterot10 ity to said main saw cylinder to permit the'latter C n- 3 v to doffcotton from the reclaiming saw cylinder. 0 t Other d, if the space islarge enough Cooperatingwith the reclaiming saw cylinder are to meet emaximum requirements 0f h l i anumberof yielding members, usually intheform a it W l p mit the s ap of t a y of brushes, which permit hullsto be carried beoo s' of cotton W e p 011 Cotton w ch 15 heath them bythe reclaiming'saw cylinder, and is ative y ea to-be thrown off .bycentrifugal action'through To make this Clear; it m be eXllileihed thatthe gaps between the brushes, while at the same during t ea y p t Of theginning season, is time causing the small lock cotton to be engagedheeessaly to make it more'difficult for cotton to by the teeth of thesaws ofthe reclaiming cylinescape through the hull discharge p m the 20,der and carried around to be doffed b'y'the main reclaiming cylinder,not only because the sawcylinder, i v s 1 I cotton is usually morevaluable during the early The successful operation of the reclaiming sawpart Of h ginning se and it is m cylinder in recovering the small lockcotton'passp t av d was u also because ing by the main saw cylinderiwiththe hulls and teihs ss hulls and other f0rei h at It is,

other refuse, is due to the fact that the hulls, therefore; not so p tat to vide averyfree 25 being relatively hard, willnot be engaged by thed open discharge u s p the y ldin teeth of the saws, and the brusheswill yield to members of the reclaiming saw y d rs. On the permit ofthem passingiunder and" being thrown. other hand, during the latter P Ofthe n ng off. ,on the other. hand theilock cotton being a the cotton tonly tains a ve y la e a 30,, softer than the hulls, will be engaged bythe teeth peroentaseof hullsiendother extraneous tt a of the saws whenyieldably forced against the but there ere'ofteh, present herd d theTinY same by the cooperating brushes. ferior locks of cotton which hisdesirable todis- In the construction illustrated in the patent ChargeWith the hulls, and under eh i aforesaid, I employ three sets "ofyielding memit is important to! Wi e a e the dischar 1 bers, or brushes,positioned in spaced relation s following one or more of the yieldingem-. with reference to the'outer circumferential porhers so asto'previde a free escape r the hulls tion of the'reclaiming sawcylinder, each set of and trash. I brushes,- as will beunderstood,extending the en- My invention is illustrated in th e p hythe length ofthecylinder. These rows of brushes ihg w in WhiOhI 1 i V i are indicatedin the patent, respectively, by the Figure is a lehgitlidihal Se t onalvview 40 reference n m ral l3, l4 a dls, through a cotton cleaning andreclaiming ma- Ihe present'invention relates to the provision ch n p ovole wi my p v t and of a hull discharge gap, adjustable in size, beu e 2is, a similar View of-the lower p r on tween two of the yielding memberscooperating of said m e and illustrating a m difi at n s with thereclaiming saw cylinder, and in the 11- in the s o adjusting the i e ofthe dislustrated embodiment of theinvention shown in Charge p- ,7 a theaccompanying drawing, consists, essentially, Referring now tothedrawing, the numeral 1 in substituting for the central row of brushesIt, indicates the casing of the machine having a illustrated in my saidprior patent, means for projection portion, 2', on its top affording anopenproviding a hull discharge gap, adjustable in size ing for receivingthe bulk cotton, and in the open 50 beyond the upper yielding member l3,relative to ing of which projection are located feed rollers, thedirection of rotation of the reclaiming saw 3. Located below. the feedrollers is a beater, or cylinder. distributing roller, 4, cooperatingwith an in- The provision of such a gap is rendered neces clined hullboard, 5, the lower end of which pro-,

sary, or at least highly desirable, by reason of the vides a dischargeopening, 6, past the main saw 55 cylinder, I. Cooperating with the upperportion of the saw cylinder is a kicker roll, 8, and a deffer, 9, thedoffed cotton being discharged through an opening, I0, into the gin, onwhich the machine is mounted. Rotatably mounted below the dischargeopening 6, and adjacent to the lower side of the saw cylinder 1, is asmall reclaiming saw cylinder, I I, cooperating with which are twoyielding members or rows of brushes, I2, I3, supported in the casing inany suitable way, preferably by strips extending between and secured tothe side walls of the casing. In the lower part of the case ing isarranged a screw conveyor, I4, for discharging refuse from the casing offthennachine; The parts indicated are all of conventional design, andneed not be further described, except to say, that.

the direction of rotation of the rotatable members is indicated bysuitable arrows. placed thereon.v Located beneath the reclaiming sawcylinder II,,

and concentric with the periphery thereof, is a curved; stationarymember, I5, provided with slots, I6. Slidably mounted on the memberI5-,,is a similar curved member, H, provided-with bolts, I8, whichextend throughthe slots I6, and havemounted thereon wing nuts, I9;

As will be-readily apparent, by loosening the wingnuts IS, the memberI1, may be moved outward to decrease thesize of the gap between its endand the yielding member I2, or it. may be moved inward, as indicated bydotted lines, to widen said gap.

In operatiom, the; stream, of; hulls carrying a. varying percentage ofone-seed-lock cotton which falls'through the space-8, between the'hullboard 5, and main extracting saw cylinderrl, falls onto thereclaimingsaw cylinder II,.which, asishown by the arrows, rotatesin the oppositedirection fromthe main'saw cylinder I. As the-hulls and locks of cottonarepulled under; or through thebrush or yielding member I2, the locks'ofcotton;

are forced into engagement with the ;teeth of the reclaiming saw. Mostof the hulls are thrown out through the opening, 20; between the bottomof the yieldingpmember I2, and the.- outer end. of

- the adjustable member I7, and if this opening is nottoo wide, nocotton will be thrown out through the opening with the hulls. If,however, the cottoncontainsa very large percentage of. hulls and otherrefuse, as well as hard and other inferior locks ofcotton, which latterit is desirable to. discharge with the hulls, then. the member. I 1 maybe adjusted inward as indicated.

by dotted lines to widen the gap 20-, soas to per-- mit of the freedischarge of; the hulls. and inferior locks oftcotton, the escape ofwhich. latter involves practically no loss whatever.

In the modified construction shown in Figure 2,.I. employ av bar, 2|,preferably-inthe shapeof an inverted V, which extends the full length ofthe reclaiming sawcylinder II, and is parallel with the-axis.thereof.This bar is shown as resting upon a platform,v 22, whichmay be utilizedat oneiend for supporting. the yielding member handle, 26. By graspingthese handles and raising the arms 23, the bar 2|, may be moved towardor from the reclaiming saw cylinder II, and then held in its adjustedposition by lowering it to bring one or the other of the correspondingrecesses 24, into engagement with the pins 25. Other means for adjustingthe bar 2|, could of course be provided.

In this form. of the invention, adjustment of the bar 21, doesnot'change the widthof. the hull discharge gap 20, following theyielding member I2, so much as does the adjustment of the curved memberll, of Fig. l; but when the bar 2I, is movedfinwardi t'o'its closestpoint of proximity to the reclaiming saw cylinder I I, as shown by thedottednlines, it provides a freer discharge of hulls and trash thanobtains with 2. corresponding: adjustment of the member I'i. At the sametime, when it is adjusted in a direction away from the reclaiming sawcylinder, or to the position shownin full lines in.Figure 2,. the hullsmust be thrown over the bar; and'sincecotton. cannot be thrown. thatfar, even. if" itzshoulds fall loose from; the: teeth of the saws after.being. brushed on by the. yielding member, any. ma

terial waste can readily; be avoided: even when handling thecleanest or:smallest-lockv cottom. with only a small percentage; if any; othulls:to.

contend with. When the percentage of hulls;in

the-cotton is very large, and' there-isno' objec tion to occasionallywasting a. smalllock. of cotton, the bar 2| can then.be: adjustedtoaposition close to the reclaiming sawcylinder; as;

shown by the dotted lines.

I wish. it: understood that my invention. is. not. limited; to use inthe particular arrangement of? parts illustrated; .but that it involves,broadly,

the idea: of providing a discharge: gap adjustable in size inconnectionwith' a reclaiming-saw cyliinder, whether; the same bearranged; in. cooperative relation with a yielding member,. such.

as; I2, or otherwise.

I wish. it also understood that the combination, in its broad aspects,is not limitedi to doffiing, the cotton from the; reclaiming sawsby themain; saw: cylinder.

patent referred. to, or I, may: employ any other preferred means, or.arrangementfordoifing the cotton. from the reclaiming saw: cylinder;

I claim:

In a cotton cleaning and. reclaiming machine having a main cottonextracting saw cylinder and providing; a discharge opening'pastthe cylinder' for the'escape of hulls, and'small look cot'-- ton not engaged:by the saws, a reclaiming saw cylinder positioned below said: opening, ayield ing, member cooperating with. said reclaiming saw cylinder andv acurved: rigid: member substantially concentric with the. periphery of isaid reclaiming saw cylinder and one sideof: which forms vrlth'saidyielding. member'a hull-discharge gap for said reclaiming saw, cylinder,meansfor circumferentially adjusting said curved member relative to saidyielding: member to vary the size of said: discharge gap, and. means fordofling cotton from said reclaiming saw cylinder.

JOHN E. MI'I'GHEIL.

Iv may use a separate dofft ing cylinder for this purpose, as shown in:my.

